Kathrine Frich
The strange radio station has been broadcasting since the Cold War.
The strange radio station has been broadcasting since the Cold War.
A Coded Message
While the world watched for signs of peace, something altogether more unsettling was happening behind the scenes.
Russia’s infamous shortwave station, known as The Buzzer, sent out eerie coded messages, right in the middle of a high-stakes call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
Cold War Relic or Countdown Device?
Officially named UVB-76, this strange radio station has been broadcasting since the Cold War, emitting a constant buzz, until it suddenly doesn’t.
Then, it speaks. Often in numbers and code.
No one knows exactly why, but some believe it’s tied to Russia’s nuclear response system, nicknamed Dead Hand.
Unsettling Codes Emerge Again
On May 19, during the leaders’ phone call, The Buzzer broadcast the sequence:
“NZhTI 89905 BLEFOPUF 4097 5573.”
Hours later, it aired a follow-up:
“NZhTI 01263 BOLTANKA 4430 9529.”
What do they mean? No one knows. But their timing aligned with a geopolitical negotiation has tongues wagging.
Putin and Trump’s ‘Excellent’ Chat
Despite tensions earlier this year, Trump and Putin struck a more optimistic tone this week.
They discussed a possible Ukraine ceasefire and “compromises.”
Trump even hinted that negotiations could begin immediately. Yet the Buzzer’s activation paints a far murkier backdrop to the conversation.
“Maybe He Doesn’t Want to Stop the War”
Shortly after the call, Trump posted on Truth Social:
“It makes me think that maybe [Putin] doesn’t want to stop the war… Too many people are dying!!!”
He floated the idea of new “banking or secondary sanctions” if Russia keeps “tapping him along.”
Second Signal, Same Pattern
This wasn’t the first time The Buzzer fired up during a Trump-Putin call.
Earlier this year, a similar signal emerged during another conversation about Ukraine.
Security analysts are now watching the station closely for patterns.